Protective covering



July 12, 1955 R LANGE 2,712,845

PROTECTIVE COVERING Filed Oct. 13, 1953 INVENTOR: 190591"? E fangs .3 ga /2m,

United States Patent 055 2,712,845 Patented July 12, 1955- PRGTECTIV COVEREYG nob-art F. Lange, Los Angeles, Application @ctoher 13, 1953, Serial No. 385,739

8 Claims. (Cl. 15il-52) This invention relates generally to protective coverings and particularly to improvements in hoods, tarpaulins and other coverings employed for protecting automobiles against dust during storage and against adverse weather conditions when they are parked outdoors.

it frequently occurs that the owner of an automobile has no available garage space in which to store the car so that it is necessary to park the car out of doors. Such outdoor parking of the car may result in the accumulation of dust thereon, deterioration of its normally highly polished surfaces and rusting of its plated parts. To alleviate this condition, it is the common practice to enclose the car in a hood-like covering which is fashioned to extend over and conceal the top, sides and ends of the car, the cover being made from a light-Weight material of a dust impervious, water repellent nature, woven silk cloth and thin plastic materials being commonly used for the purpose. Such a light-weight covering is usually held in place by straps or cords tied to the bumpers or other parts i the car.

Due to its large bulky, 'ze and irregular shape, considerable difiiculty is experienced in applying the covering to and removing it from the car, particularly by one person. Since the covering is usually stored in folded condition, it must be unfolded as it is draped over the car and again folded during its removal. Due to the airimpervions nature of the cover, the air becomes trapped between the folds of the material and this greatly impedes such folding and makes it virtually impossible to reduce the cover to a small, compact package suitable for storing in the trunk compartment of the car or other restricted space. Moreover, during such removal of the ligh weight cover, wind may enter the same and cause it to balloon so as to further complicate the procedure. This difiiculty may be reduced, but not wholly alleviated by sliding the cover from the car onto the ground or floor and thereafter folding it lengthwise and crosswise into a relatively small package.

It is an important object of my invention to obviate the disadvantages and deficiencies of such a conventional automobile covering by providing a protective cover embodying means by which the cover may be conveniently rolled up lengthwise and the roll of material then folded so as to produce a package of smaller compass than is possible with a conventional cover.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover, of the character referred to, in which the roller means is located at one end of the cover to extend thereacross, said roller means being detachably connected to the cover.

Another object of the invention is to provide, in a cover of the class specified, a roller means which consists of a series of light-Weight tubular elements arranged in space coaxial relation, the spaces occurring between the elements permitting folding of the rolled cover transversely of the tubular roller elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a cover of the type indicated in which the roller means includes a central tube, sleeve-like guide tubes located adjacent the sides of the cover, and end tubes insertable through the guide tubes with their inner ends receivable in the ends of the central tube, the assembled coaxial, tubular elements together providing a continuous roller extending across the end of the cover, said end tubes being readily removable after the cover has been rolled up on the roller so as to provide the spaces between the central tube and guide tubes necessary to allow folding of the rolled up cover.

A further object of the invention is to provide a roller means in which at least one of the insertable end tubes is provided with an axially projecting handle for facilitat ing rotation of the roller during rolling up of the cover by one person.

A further object of the invention is to provide a separable roller means of the type indicated which is extremely simple in construction, the components thereof being adapted for economical mass production from standard tubing and easily applied to existing covers, as well as to new covers during the manufacture thereof.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a separable roller means, of the character referred to, which has utility in connection with various other forms of coverings employed for protecting goods transported in trucks and other vehicles, and concealing guns, tanks and other military equipment.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description and from the drawing, which is intended for the purpose of illustration only, and in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of an automobile, showing the present improved protective cover applied to use ther with;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view means, taken on line 2.2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view, taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but tachable end tubes in place; and

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2, showing the cover as having been rolled onto the roller and the end tubes removed to allow folding of the rolled cover.

Referring to the drawing in detail, the present improved protective cover 10 is shown as of a size and shape to adapt it for use as a covering for a conventional automobile 11, the cover having a top portion 12, end porthrough the roller showing the detions 13 and side portions 14 which extend over the correspending portions of the vehicle to conceal the same. As is customary in protective covers of this general type, loops, cords or straps 15 may be provided at the lower edges of the end portions 13 by which the cover can be tied to the bumpers or other parts of the car to retain the cover in place. The protective cover 10 is made from a light-weight, substantially air impervious and water re.- pellent material, such as light-weight canvas, woven silk or other woven cloth or plastic material capable of being rolled and folded.

The cover as thus far described is conventional and is applied to use by simply spreading or draping it over the vehicle and then tying it thereto, the cover then serving to effectively protect the car against dust, direct sun rays, rain, snow and other Weather conditions which might otherwise damage the outside finish of the car and the upholstery thereof. As previously mentioned, such conventional protective covers are usually large and bulky so that considerable difliculty is experienced when removing and folding the cover to a small size suitable for storing in a compartment such as the trunk of the car.

Such difiiculty is due largely to the fact that Wind may enter the cover and tend to extend or balloon the same, and also to the fact that air may become trapped between the folds of the air impervious material to prevent flattening of the folds.

To alleviate this difiiculty, the present invention pro mately one-half the width of an end portion 13 of the 1 cover and has slightly flared end portions or sockets 26. Suitably.secured to the sides of the sockets 26 are the male elements of snap-fasteners 27. The elements are adapted to snap into the female elements which are attached to the end portion 13 adjacent its lower end. By this means, the center section 21 may be removably secured to the end portion of the cover to extend transversely of the same. Detachably secured to the end portion 13 by similar snap fasteners 27 are the guide tubes or sections 22, it being noted that these sections are axially aligned with the center section 21 but spaced at a considerable distance therefrom.

The end sections 23 consist of elongate tubes having inner tapered ends 30 adapted to be received in the sockets 26 of the center section when the end sections are passed through the guide sections 22 to insert their inner ends into the center section. With the end sections thus positioned, the several sections 21, 22 and 23 together provide a continuous roller upon which the material of the cover 10 can be'wound as the roller is rotated. To facilitate ro- 1 tation of the roller, at least one of the end sections may be provided with an axially projecting, two part handle 32, 32. The roller sections 21 and 22 may be enclosed with a folded over portion or hem 33 at the lower edge of the cover, as shown in Fig. 3. having been described in detail its mode of application is explained as follows:

Assuming that the cover 10 is in the rolled and folded condition shown in Fig. 5, to apply it to use, the rolled portions of the material encircling the guide tubes 22 are first unfolded to align them with the central portion. The end sections 23 are then inserted through the guides 22 with their tapered ends 30 seated in the sockets 26 at the ends of the center section 21, as shown in Fig. 4.

With the multi-part roller structure thus assembled, the straps 20 are fastened to the bumper atone end of the automobile, after which the entire roller and rolled cover is drawn upwardly and over the top of the car with the handle part 32 rotatable in one hand and the other part 32 turned by the other hand. As the cover is extended over the car, it unrolls from the roller assembly to cause the sides of the cover to drape over the sides of the car. Eventually, the roller reaches a point at the end of the car and adjacent the ground or floor, as illustrated in Fig. 1, at which time the cover completely covers the car. The end sections 23 then may be removed and stored in the car. While the end of the cover 10 to which the roller elements are attached also may have fastener straps for tying this end to the car, if desired, the roller components provide suificient weight to maintain this end of the cover in place.

To uncover the automobile, the procedure outlined above is reversed. That is to say, the end sections 23 are inserted as shown in Fig. 4, after which the roller is rotated upwardly and longitudinally of the car to wind the cover material thereon. After the cover has been wound completely onto the roller, the cover is unfastened from the car and the end sections 23 are removed from the rolled mass. The roll of material is then folded at the spaces occurring between the parts 21 and 22 of the roller so as to reduce the length of the roll to approximately onehalf of its original length.

With the cover thus reduced to minimum size, it can be conveniently stored in a small area, such as the trunk compartment of the car, for future use. It is to be particu- The improved protective cover larly noted that during the rolling of the cover, air is expelled by the rolling action so that the rolled and folded cover is free from trapped air which might, if allowed to remain between the folds, prevent total collapsing and folding of the material. it will also be apparent that during the rolling up of the cover the latter is held against excessive ballooning due to wind pressure therebeneath so that the possibility of the cover suddenly blowing from the car onto the ground is eiiectively avoided.

While the roller means is herein illustrated as located at the front end of the cover, it may be carried at the rear end of the cover, if desired. It is also within the concept of the invention to provide roller means at both the front and rear ends, in which case each roller may be manipulated to wind up one-half of the cover and these portions of the cover then folded over to provide a compact package for storage.

In accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, 1 have herein described the principle of, my invention, together with the construction which I now consider to represent the best embodiment thereof. I Wish it to be understood, however, that the invention is susceptible of various modifications which would fall within the spirit and scope of the invention, as defined in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a protective cover for an automobile or other object: roller means carried by said cover adjacent an edge thereof and onto which the cover can be rolled in response to rotation of the roller means, said roller means including a plurality of axially aligned, axially spaced sections and end sections normally extending coaxially of said plurality of sections and connecting the same to provide a complete, uninterrupted roller, said end sections being removable in an axial direction to provide spaces between the ends of the first mentioned sections to allow folding of the rolled cover transversely of the axis of the roller means.

2. In a protective cover for an. automobile or other object: roller means detachably secured to said cover adjacent an edge thereof and onto which the cover can be rolled in response to rotation of the roller means, said roller means including a plurality of axially aligned, axially spaced sections and end sections normally extending coaxially of said plurality of sections and connecting the same to provide a complete, uninterrupted roller,-said end sections being removable in an axial direction to provide spaces between the ends of the first mentioned sections to allow folding of the rolled cover transversely of the axis of the roller means.

3. In a protective cover for an automobile or other object: roller means carried by said cover adjacent an edge thereof and onto which the cover can be rolled in response to rotation of the roller means, said roller means including a plurality of axially aligned, axially spaced sections and end sections normally extending coaxially of said plurality of sections and connecting the same to provide a complete, uninterrupted roller, said end sections being removable in an axial direction to provide spaces between the ends of the first mentioned sections to allow folding of the rolled cover transversely of the axis of the roller means; and separable fastener means detachably connecting said other sections to the cover.

4. In a protective cover for an automobile or other object: roller means carried by said cover adjacent an edge portion thereof and onto which the cover can be rolled in response to rotation of the roller means, said roller means including a tubular center section carried by said cover intermediate the ends of said edge portion, a pair of guide tubes carried by the cover and arranged coaxial with said center section in spaced relation thereto, and end sections extending through said guide tubes with their inner ends engaging the ends of said center section, said center section, guide tubes and end sections together providing a continuous roller unit, said end sections being removable axially to allow folding of the rolled cover transversely of the roller means at the spaces occurring between said center section and said guide tubes.

5. In a protective cover for an automobile or other object: roller means carried by said cover adjacent an edge portion thereof and onto which the cover can be rolled in response to rotation of the roller means, said roller means including a tubular center section carried by said cover ntermediate the ends of said edge portion, said center section having flared ends providing axial sockets. a pair of guide tubes carried by the cover and arranged coaxial with said center section in spaced relation thereto, and end sections extending through said guide tubes with their inner ends engaging in said sockets of said center section, said center section, guide tubes and end section; together providing a continuous roller unit, said end sections being removable axially to allow folding of the rolled cover transversely of the roller means at the spaces occurring between said center section and said guide tubes.

6. In a protective cover for an automobile or other object: roller means carried by said cover adjacent an edge portion thereof and onto which the cover can be rolled in response to rotation of the roller eans, said roller means including a tubular center section carried by said cover intermediate the ends of said edge portion, said center section having flared ends providing axial sockets having inner tapered seats, a pair of guide tubes carried by the cover and arranged coarial With said center section in spaced relation thereto, and end sections extending through said guide tubes and having inner conical ends disposed Within said sockets and against said seats or" said center section, said center section, guide tubes and end sections together providing a continuous roller unit, said end sections being removable axially to allow folding of the rolled cover transversely of the roller means at the spaces occurring between said center section and said guide tubes.

7. In a protective cover for an automobile or other object: roller means carried by said cover adjacent an edge portion thereof and onto which the cover can rolled in response to rotation of the roller means, said roller means including a tubular center section carried by said cover intermediate the ends of said edge portion, said center section having flared ends providing axial sockets having inner tapered seats, a pair of guide tubes carried by the cover and arranged coaxial with said center section in spaced relation thereto, and end sections extending through said guide tubes and having inner conical ends disposed within said sockets and against said seats of said center section, said center section, guide tubes and end sections together providing a continuous roller unit, said end sections being removable axially to allow folding of the roller cover transversely of the roller means at the spaces occurring between said center section and said guide tubes, at least one of said end sections having an axially projecting handle means for facilitating rotation of said roller means. 7

8. In a protective cover for an automobile or other object: roller means carried by said cover adjacent an edge portion thereof and onto which the cover can be rolled in response to rotation of the roller means, said roller means including a tubular center section carried by said cover intermediate the ends of said edge portion, said center section having flared ends providing axial sockets having inner tapered seats, a pair of guide tubes carried by the cover and arranged coaxial with said center section in spaced relation thereto, and end sections extending through said guide tubes and having inner conical ends disposed Within said sockets and against said seats of said center section, said center section, guide tubes and end sections together providing a continuous roller unit, said end sections being removable axially to allow folding of the rolledcover transversely of the roller means at the spaces occurring between said center section and said guide tubes, at least one of said end sections having an axially pro jecting handle means for facilitating rotation of said roller means, and snap-fastener means having cooperating elements on the cover and on said center section and guide tubes for detachably connecting said center section and guide tubes to said cover.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

